Dog Chase!

[{ tessa }]

Buckthorn nods slowly, he doesn't see reason to question her story. He looks out at the barns, which are slowly getting closer as they pad onward. *I'll have her home soon enough.* He thinks as silence falls again. Buckthorn holds back a sigh. Maybe Juliet just doesn't like talking. He decides not to push her anymore, even though a part of him is curious to learn more about this loner. This surprises him. He's a WindClan warrior, and this she-cat's life is no business of his. He's just doing his job by getting her off his Clan's territory.

Buckthorn is surprised to hear her actually speak again. As she is still behind him, he turns his ears back to listen. He has been expecting the rest of this journey to be a quiet, uncomfortable one. Now, he can't help feeling relieved. He doesn't see what harm a little conversation will do. But Juliet's question surprises him. Buckthorn has never thought of WindClan's territory this way. It's always been home, and he's always loved it. He wonders how this cat can only see the bad in things, and ponders how to answer her. How do you explain why a place is your home? Buckthorn slows down as he thinks, his brow furrowing.

"How do I...live here?" He thinks the question over. "It's my home. It's my Clan's home. We fight to protect it from the other Clans every day of our lives. How can it not mean something to us?" He questions, shaking his head. Buckthorn looks fondly out at the moors with calm amber eyes. "Sure, it's open. But when you run through these hills and feel the wind in your fur, and you can see the whole sky above you...you feel like nothing can ever catch you, or hold you back." Buckthorn sighs. "It's...freedom."

He turns back to Juliet, and meets her gaze in silence. Then, he shakes himself and startles out of his thoughtful trance. Buckthorn knows that he has probably said too much. This loner could never understand. The tom shrugs and turns back around, walking faster once again. He says no more.

[Roxie !]

As if her question was some sort of physical obstacle, Buckthorn slowed before her. Juliet's tail flicked uncertainly. Who knew how touchy these Clan cats could be; perhaps she had actually offended the tom in front of her. She stopped walking for a moment, her eyes fixed on his tabby-striped back. But when Buckthorn didn't stop altogether, she tentatively began to follow again. When he spoke, it was only to repeat the inquiry she had made seconds ago. The BloodClan deputy rolled her eyes; at first, she'd thought that he wouldn't answer her at all, but now it seemed that she was in for a long-winded speech. Juliet stiffened and braced herself to drone the tom out. She wasn't in the mood to listen to these Clan-cat ideals.

But when Buckthorn began, she couldn't help it. Slowly, she was drawn into the words he spoke, and her ears pricked forward. Juliet had to struggle not to appear as transfixed as she was becoming. She forced her expression into one of nonchalant blankness, but her ears remained angled towards the WindClan warrior all the same. He spoke of things like freedom, and the wind and stars. In any ordinary circumstances, it probably would have made the she-cat gag. But there was just something about the way that Buckthorn spoke that made him seem so convincing. Clearly, he honestly believed what he was telling her. It was enough to make Juliet cast a wary glance out into the open moor around them.

She couldn't quite bring herself to see things from Buckthorn's perspective, but she certainly saw something she hadn't noticed before. It couldn't be explained in words, but as a wind swept over the open grass and ruffled her fur, it sent a shiver down Juliet's spine. The tabby she-cat stopped in her tracks. She seemed incapable of tearing her gaze away from WindClan's territory. She could feel a phantom trace of the freedom that Buckthorn had just spoken of, and it was...downright haunting.

The deputy felt a prickling in her paws that could only be distinguished as longing. For a moment, she wondered what it would be like to experience this life...if it inspired the words that had just left the warrior's mouth, perhaps there really was something she wasn't seeing. But just as suddenly as Juliet had fallen into the trance, she snapped out of it. No. That life wasn't for her...it could never be. Clan life was such a foreign concept to her. Cats trusting and taking care of one another, no matter what? How could it work? How could they possibly survive? She shook her head stubbornly, and then realized that she was still standing dead still. Blinking, the tabby bounded forward a few paces to catch up with Buckthorn. This time, she forgot to stop a few feet short, and actually fell in side-by-side with the WindClan tom.

Her blue eyes were fixed firmly in front of her, and for a moment, she said nothing. As the seconds ticked by, however, she stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. "You love your Clan that much, huh?" She muttered quietly. Juliet couldn't imagine actually loving BloodClan, or anyone in it. She didn't even know whether she actually felt any loyalty toward it, or whether it was just the promise of her sister's safety that kept her there still.

And then, just for that one moment, she allowed herself to envy the WindClan warrior. Whatever else happened, he was free.

[{ tessa }]

Buckthorn keeps walking, not noticing that Juliet has fallen behind. He is so caught up in his own thoughts that he doesn't really notice what the she-cat is doing behind him. But when she runs to catch up with him, actually walking beside him this time, he is startled. He turns his head to look at her, but she is staring straight ahead. When she speaks to him, she is so quiet that he almost doesn't hear her.

"You love your Clan that much, huh?"

Is what Juliet asks him. Buckthorn doesn't even have to think about it before he answers. "Of course." He tells her, certainty in his voice. WindClan is his life, and he has never questioned this. Sure, Clan life is hard, and tragedy strikes sometimes. But every second of it is worth it to the tabby tom. Buckthorn knows that he would die for his Clan at any time, and that his Clanmates would do the same for him. This is what makes life worth living. The honor of a warrior. He pities Juliet a little, living with out it. But he doesn't dare tell her this.

Instead, Buckthorn wonders what life as a loner is like. This she-cat seems kind of bitter. Maybe life hasn't been kind to her. He has just met her, but he feels a little bit concerned. He hopes she has someone to take care of her back home, wherever her home is. "Do you have any family?" Buckthorn asks as he thinks about this. He keeps his tone casual, and hopes Juliet doesn't think he's prying.

They're starting to get near the border now. Buckthorn flicks his tail, noticing this. He actually hasn't minded talking to Juliet, even though she doesn't belong to his Clan. But he knows that she needs to go back to where she belongs, as does he.

[Roxie !]

Upon hearing this question, Juliet stiffened. Her eyes darted away from the tom, turning sharply back to the path before her. Her paws suddenly felt heavier as she walked along, but she didn't allow her expression to change. If Buckthorn realized that he'd hit a nerve, the results could be disasterous. Not that he seemed like the type of cat who'd exploit another's emotions--no, Clan cats were usually to noble for such things. But what Juliet was afraid of was the inevitable questioning and pity that would follow. She dug her claws into the ground just thinking about it.

She still thought about it sometimes; the days she had spent with her parents and her sister in that cozy barn she had once called home. These had been the happiest and most innocent days of her life, but they were over. Juliet sometimes wished she could just let go of the memories that plagued her, but she knew if she did that, she'd have no reason to stay in BloodClan. And if she left them, she knew what they'd do: they'd kill Rosaline. The deputy didn't think she could live knowing she was responsible for the death of her own sister. The she-cat was trapped in the middle, it seemed. But the last thing she wanted to do was talk about it, especially with a cat she hardly knew.

Juliet was silent for a moment longer, and then forced herself to reply. "Not anymore." Her tone was blank and dismissive, and suddenly held an icy edge to it. It was then that she swung around to look at Buckthorn again, but this time there was a glare in her cold blue eyes that warned the tom not to pursue this topic. Dismissing it with a flick of her tail, she glanced over the hills and realized that they were nearing loner territory again. The tabby let out a tiny sigh. She was quite relieved to be departing the moorland--she wasn't sure if she liked the effect that this day's events were having on her. And this tom, Buckthorn...she had absolutely no idea what to make of him, and so she didn't want to deal with him.

Still, though, there was a tiny part of her that almost wished she could stay here a few moments longer. After this, Juliet would have nowhere else to go other than back to BloodClan. The fur along her spine bristled. No matter where she went, the nightmares would return. She cast a moody glance at Buckthorn, and then looked down. "Anyway, I should be going." The BloodClan deputy stopped at last. They were only a few tail-lengths from the border now, and she flattened her ears awkwardly. "...Thanks. For the, uh...help." She added reluctantly, fighting her pride to get the words out.

[{ tessa }]

Buckthorn is surprised by her abrupt answer, and even more surprised that this actually unsettles him. He really has no business caring about this cat's family life when he barely knows her. But from the look of things, it seems that she has been through a lot. Buckthorn looks at Juliet carefully, but he can tell that she doesn't want to talk about this any longer. And who is he to push her? He shrugs and keeps moving, only to find that they have finally arrived at their destination.

This is where they would part ways. Buckthorn looks across the fields to the barns. It isn't too long of a way, so Juliet should be able to make it safely. He can't afford to leave his Clan to walk her there, and he knows what she wouldn't thank him for it anyway. To Buckthorn's surprise, though, she does actually thank him for the dog incident. He stares at her in suprise. He can tell that it's hard for her to find the right words, but he appreciates her trying. "Don't mention it." He tells her kindly.

Now it's time for them both to go. Buckthorn still needs to do some hunting before he can return to camp. This whole time, he hasn't been sure what to think of this she-cat, but now he decides he's glad he met her. It's always interesting learning about cats from other places, at least in Buckthorn's opinion. And he hopes that maybe, he's taught her a bit about WindClan too.

"Good-bye, then." Buckthorn smiles and flicks his striped tail across Juliet's shoulder. He starts to say the traditional Clan farewell, "May StarClan go with you", but he isn't sure that a loner would really appreciate the meaning of the remark. So, he settles for a simple "Keep safe." And nods, stepping back to let her pad back home.